Riders to the Sea Questions
Riders to the Sea
1. By the speech, it is evident that Maurya knows something bad is going to happen to her son. The argument stating that she has need for the rope is the strongest she can propose for Bartley to stay because he cannot go without it. If she says that she need the rope for herself, that would mean that he would not have a rope for himself. Without the rope, he could not go on his voyage.
2. The young priest plays an important role in the play because he is the one that helps the sisters learn about Michael. He informs Nora of how they found the body of him. In a conversation with Cathleen, Nora says on page 86 “‘There were two men,’ says he, ‘and they were rowing round poteen before the cocks crowed, and the oar of one of them caught the body, and they passing the black cliffs of the north.’ He brought the clothes that were said to be of Michael’s for the sisters to inspect and determine if in fact they do belong to him.
3. Maurya’s vision of Michael implies that he has died and is going to heaven. His fine clothing represents him being an angel and that his body is being restored so that he may enter the kingdom of heaven.
4. Throughout the play, there are two events that foreshadow the death of Bentley. The first sign is when Maurya tells Bentley not to go to sea because he will be “drowned with the rest” (84) She telling him that he will drown just like his other brothers. Another event that foreshadows his death is Maurya not giving him her blessing before he leaves. Cathleen tells her to go find Bentley to give him her blessing. Maurya comes back from the spring saying she saw “the fearfullest thing” (88) which she says was Michael riding behind Bentley on the grey pony. This stops Maurya from blessing him.
5. Maurya does not hear the noise because she is preoccupied with telling the story of her vision of Michael. Evidently that she is more fond of Michael than she is of Bentley. Her mind is taken over by her vision and she has
1. By the speech, it is evident that Maurya knows something bad is going to happen to her son. The argument stating that she has need for the rope is the strongest she can propose for Bartley to stay because he cannot go without it. If she says that she need the rope for herself, that would mean that he would not have a rope for himself. Without the rope, he could not go on his voyage.
2. The young priest plays an important role in the play because he is the one that helps the sisters learn about Michael. He informs Nora of how they found the body of him. In a conversation with Cathleen, Nora says on page 86 “‘There were two men,’ says he, ‘and they were rowing round poteen before the cocks crowed, and the oar of one of them caught the body, and they passing the black cliffs of the north.’ He brought the clothes that were said to be of Michael’s for the sisters to inspect and determine if in fact they do belong to him.
3. Maurya’s vision of Michael implies that he has died and is going to heaven. His fine clothing represents him being an angel and that his body is being restored so that he may enter the kingdom of heaven.
4. Throughout the play, there are two events that foreshadow the death of Bentley. The first sign is when Maurya tells Bentley not to go to sea because he will be “drowned with the rest” (84) She telling him that he will drown just like his other brothers. Another event that foreshadows his death is Maurya not giving him her blessing before he leaves. Cathleen tells her to go find Bentley to give him her blessing. Maurya comes back from the spring saying she saw “the fearfullest thing” (88) which she says was Michael riding behind Bentley on the grey pony. This stops Maurya from blessing him.
5. Maurya does not hear the noise because she is preoccupied with telling the story of her vision of Michael. Evidently that she is more fond of Michael than she is of Bentley. Her mind is taken over by her vision and she has